Fireside Chats with Kat: an interview with DirigibleFrom the Avlissian Newsletter, issue #7

Kat: Heya! You ready to go under the hot white lights for an interview?

Dirigible: I've got my good underwear on and everything.

Kat: Perfect! If I ask anything you don't want to answer, we can move to another question.

Kat: I am not asking hard stuff though, promise.

Dirigible: Sure! But I'm pretty happy to answer anything

Dirigible: Hah! So long as it's not math questions.

Kat: I figured but had to mention it in case you like big secrets and all that.

Kat: I would make you do my math homework, if I had some.

Kat: Okay, we are quickly approaching our 15th anniversary for Avlis, which is sort of mindblowing that it has carried on that long.

Kat: What brought you to Avlis and when did you start playing here?

Dirigible: It really is! I was a late bloomer to Avlis. I think I got on board about 2013

Dirigible: I'd always been interested in story telling and RP but could never find a local group for the classic pen and paper experience.

Kat: It seems like you've always been here (that's a good thing too).

Dirigible: I was doing these group story telling RP comics on this website called Tegaki. You'd spend ages drawing replies to each other and before you knew it, you had a (sort of) comic. Some of the people I drew with started playing on the Isles of the lost servers. So I came to Avlis via Nuvar!

Kat: That sounds like a really cool experience. Drawing stories with each other. Do you still do that?

Dirigible: Sadly it doesn't exist as a live site anymore, just an archive. Which is a shame.

Dirigible: I still draw stories though, but with kids! I volunteer with a children's creative writing charity.

Kat: That is fantastic! Have you taken any inspiration from the stories and put them into your characters on Avlis?

Dirigible: well, certainly it's inspired some in character tales. Some 7 year olds are true Forianites.

Kat: Ha, I would imagine most are a little.

Dirigible: But it's more about just letting go and having fun with the creative process that I get from the kids.

Dirigible: Otherwise I would definitely be remorting Gann into a unicorn.

Kat: He'd make a great unicorn.

Kat: Do you write as well or are you turning their stories into drawings?

Dirigible: I tend to stick to drawing, but I do love words. A big apology to all our euro players who've had to work out what the hell I've been saying.

Dirigible:

Kat: That's part of the fun, I'd imagine.

Kat: Gann, is he your first? I know you play a few but do you consider him to be your main these days?

Dirigible: I actually started with a planewalking Gnoll bard-barian called Skrike, but quickly realized I needed a character that came from Negraria.

Dirigible: Avlis as a server has such a rich mind boggling history, I felt I needed to have a character that lived and breathed that stuff.

Kat: I agree, it is almost overwhelming the amount of lore but once you flesh out a story, it starts to fall into place.

Kat: When you made Gann, what was your inspiration for him?

Dirigible: Gann really was one of those characters that kind of wrote himself as I played him. I started out thinking of him as a smuggler. Where I grew up it's not far from Cornwall and Devon, notorious hotspots for all manner of seaborn larceny.

Kat: Seaborn larceny sounds like a lot of fun.

Dirigible: Especially when it involves as much booze as they used to haul in!

Kat: Has he changed from what you thought he would be when you made him?

Dirigible: Oh, he's changed so much. He started out as a cowardly feckless little shit, and now he's a cowardly feckless shit, who's in part responsible for one of Andrinor's (finest obviously) Orders.

Kat: (second finest)

Kat: *shameless plugs*

Dirigible: Gold is rather shiny!

Dirigible: Shame about all the orcs.

Kat: In your time on Avlis, what has been your favorite plot?

Kat: Small fun or huge world changing, doesn't matter.

Dirigible: Oh that's so hard. But my absolute two faves has to have been Wilsash's mystery box plot from the trade faire. Full of lore and secrets!

Dirigible: I think everyone likes a 'What's in the box?' quest, and this one had multiple boxes!

Kat: Those were great, I love stories that start out simple and take you on a journey.

Dirigible: And the fact they weren't earth shaking, made them all the more special and personal. I love seeing Dm's little hand crafted tweaks and touches.

Kat: I think that's something the current team really excels in, giving little personal items and making the world feel really connected to your character.

Dirigible: Absolutely! There’s not an event that goes by without me wanting to know more about their characters and locations!

Dirigible: But my absolute fav has to be Xiaou.

Kat: He's good people. I hope he comes back.

Dirigible: That he is! Gann got turned into a pumpkin by fey, lived a previous life through a series of vignettes and flashbacks and eventually witnessed the Orcish Cataclysm and the aftermath.

Dirigible: He must have spent hours putting together all the locations and story for a tiny group of us.

Kat: Time travel to witness history is pretty epic.

Dirigible: I guess those two cover the full scale

Kat: What was your biggest "Oh no, what have I done?!" moment? Or are you still waiting to screw up royally?

Dirigible: Errr.... you do know Gann is a Wild mage right?

Kat: Ha!

Kat: I keep trying to forget.

* Kat kids

Dirigible: When he started with AMS 1 in the old days of cowage and instant death, I became conditioned to wince pre-emptively every time he cast a spell.

Kat: I am grateful that you've never cowed me.

Dirigible: But I think the worst moment has to be when Gann made Ronan Ceril fall in love with him.

Kat: Oh my gosh, that must have been beautiful.

Dirigible: The surge message doesn't tell you when it happens. So all of a sudden over the course of a quest he was being nicer and nicer.

Dirigible: But if you've ever met Red's archmage Artorious, he has a little female halfling helper that follows him around everywhere.

Dirigible: I love her!

Kat: Everyone needs a halfling helper.

Dirigible: I assume you just go to Ferrell and help yourself.

Kat: I will test that theory later.

Dirigible: Haha! Good luck on not unearthing some world shattering evil while you do it.

Kat: I am pretty sure that is only underground in Ferrell.

Kat: Never bring a shovel there.

Kat: What would you say was your defining moment on Avlis, one that really sealed your fate here?

Dirigible: I'd say it was actually all the people that were welcoming and helpful when I was still finding my way around, but things really took off once Gann got accepted into the Red and set on fire for the first time. Joining a guild isn't for everyone, but it really helps you get involved

Dirigible: And more importantly, keep involved!

Kat: Especially the Trust, I know not everyone likes mages but it really is a great way to meet a lot of players.